Expert Witness

Citizens who took action when they witnessed a crime, an officer investigating incidents on his own time and a deputy who reached out to a child at Christmas were just a few people the state's attorney's office recognized this week for their dedication to helping crime victims. They were recognized as part of National Victims' Rights Week activities. "It's a simple thank you," said Jill Ritter of the Victim Witness Unit for the state's attorney's office. Sgt. Robert Whittington of the Washington County Sheriff's Department went "above and beyond" when he worked on an assault case during his personal time, Ritter said.

Citizens who took action when they witnessed a crime, an officer investigating incidents on his own time and a deputy who reached out to a child at Christmas were just a few people the state's attorney's office recognized this week for their dedication to helping crime victims. They were recognized as part of National Victims' Rights Week activities. "It's a simple thank you," said Jill Ritter of the Victim Witness Unit for the state's attorney's office. Sgt. Robert Whittington of the Washington County Sheriff's Department went "above and beyond" when he worked on an assault case during his personal time, Ritter said.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - West Virginia Speaker of the House of Delegates Robert S. Kiss, who recently formed a committee to determine whether he should seek a seat on the state Supreme Court, answered doctors' questions Tuesday night about the medical malpractice bill. Kiss, D-Raleigh, addressed the group in a conference room at City Hospital in Martinsburg. By November he will decide whether to seek the justice's seat, Kiss said after his address.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A well-known former Martinsburg defense attorney who has been criticized for his knowledge of how to delay the court system on Wednesday won a delay for himself. Steven M. Askin convinced Berkeley County Circuit Court Judge Gina Groh to delay his trial scheduled for Friday, arguing he needs more time to prepare for the case. Askin, who faces allegations that he practiced law without a license, said he needs the extra time because he learned the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney's Office will use an expert witness in the case.

HAGERSTOWN After less than two hours of deliberations Thursday, a Washington County Circuit Court jury found a Hagerstown man guilty of first-degree murder in an April 13, 2006, stabbing on Bethune Avenue. Marshall Adams, 27, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison after his conviction in the death of Leo Anthony Morris, 31, who was stabbed and cut 32 times, according to evidence and testimony presented during the three-day trial. Adams faced charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A hearing on whether a man charged with rape will undergo a second set of DNA tests was continued Monday after objections were raised by the Franklin County Public Defender's Office. Terry A. Boose, 33, of Gardners, Pa., is charged with raping a 28-year-old Delaware woman on an isolated section of the Appalachian Trail in Quincy Township, Pa., on June 3. The initial DNA test, however, failed to provide a match between vaginal swabs taken from the woman and a blood sample taken from Boose.

HAGERSTOWN - Following a contentious bench trial Tuesday, a Washington County judge found a former Maryland State Police trooper guilty of five counts of possession of child pornography. Deputy State's Attorney Joseph Michael showed that Brian H. Murphy was in possession of five pornographic images, and that the actual child pictured in the photographs was younger than 16, Washington County District Judge Mark D. Thomas said. The judge ruled that Murphy, 34, was not guilty of the other five counts of possession of child pornography with which he was charged.

Singley's family testifies at his sentencing trial By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Diane Singley cried inconsolably on the witness stand Friday as she told a jury that her son, convicted double murderer Michael Singley, was an outgoing, lovable young man until deep depression took over his life. A parade of family members and Michael Singley's girlfriend testified to Singley's status as a fun-loving, responsible family member as part of the defense's bid to keep him off death row. Singley, 24, of 1126 E. Brandon Drive, pleaded guilty in August to the stabbing death and rape of Christine Rohrer, 23, of 391 Elder St., and the fatal shooting of James Gilliam, 39, her next door neighbor.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A Morgan County magistrate's lawyer says he'll appeal her conviction on charges she lied to police in an attempt to collect worker's compensation. Bonnie Riffle was convicted Friday night on all seven counts of an indictment against her, said Paul Lane, her Martinsburg, W.Va., attorney. The jury deliberated for approximately five hours, returning with the guilty verdict about 10:30 p.m., he said. "I'm just as surprised as she is," Lane said Saturday.

A Berkeley County Circuit Court judge Friday denied a motion to move the trial of a Virginia man accused of murdering a woman and her 3-year-old son to another jurisdiction due to pretrial publicity. The ruling by 23rd Circuit Judge Christopher Wilkes came after B. Craig Byron, defense attorney for Antonio Prophet, 35, of Lorton, Va., called an expert in change-of-venue cases to testify at Friday's pretrial hearing. Attorneys can seek a change of venue for their clients if they believe pretrial publicity would make it difficult to choose an unbiased jury.

A Pennsylvania State Police investigator testified Tuesday that he and other troopers read Miranda warnings to Jeffrey Eldon Miles Sr. five times on April 6, 2010, the day authorities found two bodies in southern Franklin County. Trooper Aaron Martin testified in Franklin County Central Court about watching Miles' pockets be searched, handcuffing him and recording statements the morning the bodies of Kristy Dawn Hoke and a missing 17-year-old were found. Miles' defense claims police obtained incriminating statements from their client before he received a Miranda warning or waived those rights.

Washington County Circuit Judge Donald E. Beachley this week denied the post-conviction petition of a man seeking a new trial in the 2007 death of his former girlfriend's infant. Floyd Edward Bingaman III, 24, formerly of Hagerstown, was convicted in November 2007 of first-degree child abuse resulting in death and involuntary manslaughter in the Jan. 6, 2007, death of 4-month-old Justice Christopher Calvin Myers-Cannon, according to court documents. Bingaman was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and his subsequent appeals to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the Maryland Court of Appeals were denied, court documents said.

HAGERSTOWN -- The defense is expected to present evidence beginning Monday in the case of a Williamsport man being sued by neighbors who claim he has harassed them for years. The case against Jeffrey Lynn Hurd continued Friday in Washington County Circuit Court. Hurd was convicted of killing Arthur Pereschuk's dog, Bristol, on July 22, 2007. Less than a year later, on May 8, 2008, Harley, a dog belonging to James and Renee Rudolph, Pereschuk's daughter and son-in-law, was shot on Hurd's property.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A well-known former Martinsburg defense attorney who has been criticized for his knowledge of how to delay the court system on Wednesday won a delay for himself. Steven M. Askin convinced Berkeley County Circuit Court Judge Gina Groh to delay his trial scheduled for Friday, arguing he needs more time to prepare for the case. Askin, who faces allegations that he practiced law without a license, said he needs the extra time because he learned the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney's Office will use an expert witness in the case.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- The man accused in the death of a 2-month-old Jefferson County boy in December 2007 told the presiding judge in his trial on Tuesday that he would not testify in his own defense. Michael Todd Cox, 41, is being tried on a charge of child abuse by a custodian resulting in death and could receive a minimum of 30 years in prison if convicted. Colton Lee James died Dec. 10, 2007, at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Jurors seated for the trial in the Jefferson County Courthouse likely will begin deliberating today after receiving instructions from 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge David H. Sanders and hearing closing arguments from attorneys handling the case.

HAGERSTOWN - Following a contentious bench trial Tuesday, a Washington County judge found a former Maryland State Police trooper guilty of five counts of possession of child pornography. Deputy State's Attorney Joseph Michael showed that Brian H. Murphy was in possession of five pornographic images, and that the actual child pictured in the photographs was younger than 16, Washington County District Judge Mark D. Thomas said. The judge ruled that Murphy, 34, was not guilty of the other five counts of possession of child pornography with which he was charged.

HAGERSTOWN - After less than two hours of deliberations Thursday, a Washington County Circuit Court jury found a Hagerstown man guilty of first-degree murder in an April 13, 2006, stabbing on Bethune Avenue. Marshall Adams, 27, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison after his conviction in the death of Leo Anthony Morris, 31, who was stabbed and cut 32 times, according to evidence and testimony presented during the three-day trial. Adams faced charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Citizens who took action when they witnessed a crime, an officer investigating incidents on his own time and a deputy who reached out to a child at Christmas were just a few people the state's attorney's office recognized this week for their dedication to helping crime victims. They were recognized as part of National Victims' Rights Week activities. "It's a simple thank you," said Jill Ritter of the Victim Witness Unit for the state's attorney's office. Sgt. Robert Whittington of the Washington County Sheriff's Department went "above and beyond" when he worked on an assault case during his personal time, Ritter said.